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The Twins have acquired
closer Matt Capps and cash from the Nationals in exchange for catching
prospect Wilson Ramos and left-handed pitching prospect Joe Testa.

Capps,
26, has 26 saves in 30 opportunities and a 2.74 ERA in 47 games for the Nationals this season. He
has around $1.3 million remaining of his $3.5 million salary and will
be under the Twins control for 2011 as an arbitration-eligible player.

The
deal helps to bolster the Twins’ bullpen, which recently lost one of
its late-inning options when Brian Duensing was moved into the rotation.
Capps will fill the role of closer. Manager Ron Gardenhire already called Jon
Rauch and told him of his move back into a set-up role. Rauch said he just wants to help the team win.

Ramos, who had been labeled as the
Twins’ No. 2 prospect, was batting .241 with five home runs and 30 RBIs
for Triple-A Rochester this season. Ramos had been considered to be the
Twins’ best trade chip since Spring Training when the club signed Joe
Mauer to an eight-year, $184 million extension. Ramos was a late scratch
from Rochester’s lineup on Thursday night, fueling further speculation
that a trade was in the works.

Testa was signed by the Twins as a non-drafted free agent in 2008. He began this season at Double-A New Britain and went 1-4 with an 8.25 ERA in 21 games for the Rock Cats. He was moved to Class A Fort Myers,and went 1-1 with a 3.30 ERA in 15 games for the Miracle.

There was an ESPN report earlier this week that the Twins had expressed interest in Nationals closer Matt Capps and it appears that Minnesota could be making a stronger push for Capps as Saturday’s 3 p.m. CT non-waiver Trade Deadline looms.

According to a few national reports, the Twins and Nationals are in deep discussions regarding the closer.

The Nationals are reportedly seeking a high-level prospect in return for Capps, which likely means that the Twins must decide whether it’s worth giving up catcher Wilson Ramos in exchange for the pitcher. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Ramos was a late scratch from Triple-A Rochester’s lineup on Thursday night.

The Twins have appeared to shift their focus from acquiring a starting pitcher to instead adding relief help in recent days. The change was due to the lack of fits the Twins had found in regards to starting pitchers. With Brian Duensing having recently moved from the bullpen to the rotation, the Twins could use another late-inning relief option such as Capps.The Twins have also been talking with the Blue Jays in regards to some of their relievers.

The Twins have been linked to Mariners left-hander Cliff Lee quite often in early trade speculation. Various reports have even labeled the Twins as a front-runner for the ace pitcher.

Twins general manager Bill Smith and other team officials have said they
will not comment on whether the team is in discussions for
Lee. Still indications are that the two clubs have been talking about a
possible swap for Lee, although there
appears to be nothing imminent in terms of a deal.

One report on Monday night said that the Twins had offered two of their top prospects — outfielder Aaron Hicks and catcher Wilson Ramos — for Lee. That seems like much more than the Twins would be willing to offer for a short-term rental. Lee, who is making $8 million this season, will be a free agent at the end of this year and he is expected to draw a big payday as one of the marquee players available.

Ramos certainly appears to be the prospect that the Mariners could be most interested in, since they don’t have a Major League catcher. And with Joe Mauer having signed an eight-year, $184 million contract extension that begins next season, the Twins could move Ramos if they feel it’s for the right piece.

The Twins, according to the Twitter account of AOL FanHouse’s Jeff Fletcher, have offered Minor League outfielder Aaron Hicks and Minor League catcher Wilson Ramos in exchange for Cliff Lee. Hicks and Ramos were ranked by Baseball America as the No. 1 and No. 2 prospects in the Twins’ system, respectively, heading into the season. No deal is imminent, however, according to FOXSports.com and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. But the revealing of names means things may be progressing.

Lee, who has a 2.34 ERA, a 0.945 WHIP and a 14.83 strikeout-to-walk ratio, is also drawing interest from the Reds, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. The newspaper reported that the Reds and Mariners talked about Lee when the Reds were in Seattle a couple of weeks ago. The Mariners want an impact bat for Lee, and Reds prospect Yonder Alonso could provide that in exchange, but Seattle is probably looking for more, the Enquirer wrote. Alonso is currently blocked by Joey Votto.

The Twins and Reds, of course, are not the only ones who’d be interested in adding a top-flight left-handed starter with big-game experience and a rather affordable pro-rated price tag. According to SI.com — which said talks between the Twins and Mariners for Lee are “interesting” and “have possibilities” — close to 15 teams are believed to be looking towards adding Lee.

Here’s more from around the league …

* Peter Gammons of MLB Network and MLB.com wrote via Twitter on Tuesday that “rumblings” around St. Petersburg had B.J. Upton going to Seattle in exchange for Lee — perhaps as part of a three-team deal. Whether or not that materializes, the Rays may be willing to trade their right-handed-hitting center fielder regardless. The Red Sox, Giants, Braves and several other teams could be a fit.

* The Orioles and Buck Showalter have had “continuing conversations” regarding the managerial vacancy, which means the two sides may be closing in on an agreement, according to ESPN.com. FOXSports.com wrote Friday night that the O’s are “zeroing in” on Showalter. MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli heard through a source that the O’s are interested in adding Showalter, and Eric Wedge is believed to be the other leading candidate.

* The 10-5 rights of Mark Buehrle have kicked in, meaning the White Sox left-hander essentially has a full no-trade clause now, according to MLBTradeRumors.com. Ten-year veterans who have been with an organization for five years earn the right to veto a trade, even if they don’t have a no-trade clause in their contract.

* The Red Sox have not approached Victor Martinez about an extension, according to The Boston Globe. Martinez, currently on the disabled list, is a free agent after this season but has said he’d like to stay in Boston.

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